fbpx Swing Shift (on 35mm) | George Eastman Museum

Please note: The exhibition Erica Baum: the bite in the ribbon—a paper show is closed today due to technical issues in the gallery. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to reopen it as soon as possible.

Swing Shift (on 35mm)

Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Dryden Theatre

(Jonathan Demme, US 1984, 100 min., 35mm)

 

The lives of Santa Monica couple Jack and Kay Walsh are upended by the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, when Jack (Ed Harris) enlists in the Navy, leaving Kay (Goldie Hawn) to fend for herself. Among their neighbors, many of the women decide to take positions at the nearby aircraft plant, including Kay and her new friend and neighbor, Hazel (Oscar-nominated Christine Lahti), an aspiring singer. While trying to make ends meet, and help the war effort, the women deal with sexism from their remaining male co-workers, but eventually prove their mettle. Lucky Lockhart (Kurt Russell), more trumpeter than plant worker, takes a special interest in Kay, who struggles between her marriage vows and her attraction to Lucky. Hawn and Russell re-connected during the casting process for this film, and have been together ever since.